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This year, Romanian employees enjoyed 14 free days set for public or religious holidays, with two more days compared to last year. Thus, in 2017, two free days were legally approved, namely January 24th (the Romanian Principalities Union Day) and 1st of June (Children’s Day). By the end of this year, Romanians will have 4 more legal free days, all during the working week.

Out of the legal free days this year, only three fell over the weekend. At the same time, Romanian employees benefited from five extended weekends, being free on public holidays on Mondays and Tuesdays. Four of these extended weekends have already been consumed. The 25th and 26th of December will be linked to the Christmas weekend before Christmas.

Legal holidays in 2017:

1st and 2nd January – New Year’s, Sunday and Monday

January 24th – The Day of the Union of Romanian Principalities, Tuesday

April 16th and 17th – Catholic Easter and Orthodox Easter, Sunday and Monday

May 1st – International Labor Day, Monday

June 1st – Children’s Day, Thursday

June 4th and 5th, – Orthodox Pentecost, Sunday and Monday

August 15th – The Assumption of Mary, Tuesday

November 30th – St. Andrew, Thursday

December 1st – International Day of Romania, Friday

December 25th and 26th – Christmas, Monday and Tuesday

In 2018, Romanians will benefit from 14 legal free days, out of which 11 will be on working days, and three on weekends. Two days are added for each of the three annual religious holidays, so declared by non-Christian legal religious denominations for the persons belonging to them.

Children’s Day and Union Day of Romanian Principalities, free days starting 2017

Starting 2017, Romanian employees benefit from two more free days. Thus, according to Law no. 176/2016 for the amendment of par. (1) of art. 139 from the Law no. 53/2003 – The Labor Code, which came into force in October 2016, January 24th, The Day of the Union of Romanian Principalities is a free legal day.

Also in 2017, Children’s Day has become a free legal day for all employees, whether or not they are parents. Law no. 220/2016 for filling in par. (1) of art. 139 from the Law no. 53/2003 – The Labor Code which states this amendment entered into force in November 2016. After 24th of January, 1st of June is the second free legal day included in the Labor Code in 2016 with effect from 2017.

Federal employees, more legal free days in 2017

In 2017, the government decided that January 23rd would be free for public sector employees as a link between the weekend of January 21st-22nd and the day of January 24th. The facility was not granted, however, to workplaces where the activity cannot be interrupted due to the nature of the production process or the specificity of the activity. The recovery of the free days was made on January 28th or by an appropriate prolongation of working time until January 31st, 2017.

Also in 2017, the Government approved a draft resolution which declared June 2nd 2017 a free day for the public sector employees. Setting the day of June 2nd as non-working day made a bridge between June 1st, declared a free day, and the following Saturday, Sunday and Monday (the second day of Pentecost). The free day was recovered on 10th of June 2017 or by an appropriate prolongation of working time until June 16th, 2017.

Federal employees have benefited from another extended weekend in 2017 after the Government decided, by its Decision no. 512/2017, to give them a free day on August 14th. The Assumption of Mary was celebrated On August 15th 2017, a free legal day in which the employees were free, according to labor law. This free day was later recovered on August 19th or by daily prolongation of the working program.

Other legal free days?

The year 2017 marked a series of legislative initiatives to set up new national holidays. March 27th was officially declared a national holiday, according to Law no. 36/2017 entered into force on 1st of April. The day of March 27th celebrates the union of Basarabia with Romania. In order for The Day of Union of Basarabia with Romania to become a non-working legal holiday, it must be included in the list of free days established by the Labor Code.

In October 2017, the senators voted the legislative proposal for the establishment of The National Minorities Day in Romania, which states that December 18th should be declared a national holiday. In order to be applied, the draft of the normative act also needs the vote of the Chamber of Deputies, promulgation and publication in the Official Monitor. The draft does not, however, stipulate that December 18th will be a day off once it is adopted.

A legislative proposal on the celebration of March 15th as The Feast of the Hungarian Community in Romania has come to the Senate vote this year. According to this normative act, the Hungarian employees in Romania can ask their employer to grant them a free day on March 15th, when the Hungarian community is celebrated in Romania. The proposal does not apply at the moment, but it will be subject to the vote of the Parliament, the approval by decree granted by the head of state and also to the publication in the Official Monitor.

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